Lockdown no deterrent for Abhimanyu & Co in Dehradun

Several Ranji Trophy players and youngsters from Delhi and Uttarakhand have been training at the facility.
Bengal captain Abhimanyu Easwaran (Photo | PTI)
Bengal captain Abhimanyu Easwaran (Photo | PTI)

CHENNAI: Bengal captain Abhimanyu Easwaran has been slogging out at his academy in Dehradun for  the past two months in preparation for the season ahead. Many players and coaches are attached to a residential facility at the ground, making sure that their routines are held without any problem.

“All the players and coaches were staying in the residential facility. We could train easily. Initially, Dehradun was open from 8am to 1pm during lockdown and thereafter up to 4pm. We planned our sessions accordingly,’’ said Abhimanyu, who has roots in Chennai.

“We had skills session in the morning including batting, bowling and fielding. Physical training sessions were held later. I also had open nets sessions for situation training. I was focussing on improving my shot selection through various drills. Plus, I also had sessions where we concentrated on power hitting,’’ he expained.

Several Ranji Trophy players and youngsters from Delhi and Uttarakhand have been training at the facility. “Kunal Chandela, Karanveer Kaushal with many under-23, under-19 and under-16 players of Uttarakhand have been training here. We have an indoor facility where the boys train with the bowling machine. The time spent has been fruitful,” explained the opener.

The academy has five coaches and a physical trainer among the staff at the moment, other than the groundsmen. “We paid full salaries to all during the lockdown. During the initial phase when prices of all essentials shot up, we gave free ration to all our ground staff,” informed Easwaran, the player’s father.

Abhimanyu led Bengal to the Ranji Trophy final last season. Although his team failed to win the trophy, he is confident that they will do well in the coming season. “We lost narrowly. Nevertheless, it was a good experience and we will perform better. Personally also, I want to do better, make a lot of runs and try to win trophies. My goal is playing for India and I will use  every opportunity to put runs against my name and chase my dream,’’ said Abhimanyu.

At the moment, he is looking forward to going to Kolkata and start training at Eden Gardens. He is waiting for the schedule to come out before going to his adopted home.

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